Parts of Indonesia swamped by huge tidal wave
Pastor Dale Morgan
Parts of Indonesia swamped by huge tidal wave*
Reuters
Wednesday, June 4, 2008; 1:50 AM
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A 2.2-meter (7-feet) high tidal wave inundated parts
of Jakarta overnight as the city government and citizens tried to hold
the water back with emergency embankments, a government official said on
Wednesday.
The height of the water was far greater than earlier predictions. The
World Bank, which has been monitoring flooding and tidal waves in
Jakarta, warned last week of a 1.2 meter tidal surge in parts of the city.
Authorities in the capital, home to more than 10 million people, had
been bracing for high tides with sand bags and wire netting filled with
stones.
The tidal wave swamped areas near the coast for a few hours, leaving
hundreds of people stranded in their homes, but the main highway leading
to the airport was not affected.
Jakarta is often flooded in the rainy season and it can also be
inundated by high tides in areas near the coast and in low-lying districts.
Flooding caused by heavy rains also frequently cuts off a stretch of the
airport highway, leading to massive traffic jams and flight delays.
"We are still using emergency (embankments), using river rocks and sand
bags, because the permanent embankments will only be finished in July or
August," Budi Widiantoro, the deputy head of the Jakarta Public Works
Agency, told Reuters.
He said the water had risen to 2.2 meters on Tuesday night.
Some experts say flooding in Jakarta, which killed 50 people during the
wet season in 2007 and triggered more chaos in February this year, is
caused by reclamation of swamp areas.
The city public works agency is raising the height of seven embankments
to help reduce the flooding, while toll road company PT Jasa Marga is
building barriers to prevent further flooding.
(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu, Editing by Sugita Katyal and David Fogarty)